Reduced gray matter in the anterior cingulate gyrus in familial schizophrenia: A preliminary report

Few brain imaging studies of schizophrenia involve samples with enhanced genetic homogeneity. We compared MRI volumetric data between individuals with 1q21-q23 linked familial schizophrenia associated with NOS1AP and their first and second degree unaffected relatives. We found significant gray matter reductions in the anterior cingulate gyrus in both affected individuals and their unaffected first degree relatives when compared with their unaffected second degree relatives. These results suggest that the changes are primarily due to genetic risk and not illness effects, and may represent an intermediate phenotype.